Archives for February 2014

When I was flying up to spend the Christmas hols with my family, I listened to the airline attendant’s ubiquitous warning, “In the case of emergency, an oxygen mask will drop down in front of you. First put the oxygen mask on yourself, before attending to those traveling with you.” I realized that this is good advice for bodyworkers also.

I have been offering reflexology for 31 years, and massage therapy for 25. And why am I still able to do this? Because I know how to use my hands and body, so as to protect myself from injury.

I am always pained when I hear of bodyworkers who had to forego their dream and kiss their financial investment goodbye two years out from graduating, because of repetitive strain injuries. It doesn’t have to be that way folks! First take care of yourself.

With reflexology, I change my body position a lot. I open and close all my sessions standing, using my body weight to introduce opening and closing relaxation techniques, thus reducing the load on my hands. Then I sit for a bit, stand up again when I feel the need; so many of the techniques can be varied to suit either position. And speaking of techniques – there are so many, and so many that require you to use different parts of your hands and different digits; it’s not all just thumb-walking and finger-walking.

Here are four things I constantly monitor while I am working:

1. Aligning my digits and my hand to my forearm, so as to avoid static or dynamic loading through unnatural angles.

2. Putting both hands to work; ie. avoiding always using just my “dominant” hand. I’ve trained both to be equally flexible and strong and effective.

3. Paying attention to pressure. It’s a fallacy that reflexology must be administered at a pressure that causes pain to the recipient and/or giver. The effectiveness of the work results from the size of nerve endings in the feet, not by sheer power. My youngest client – just three days old – proved that to me many years ago, as I lightly worked on his feet with my baby finger, all the while watching the screen monitoring his breathing. Contact was all that was necessary to smooth out his breathing and increase his oxygen uptake.

4. The relationship of the height of my chair to the height of the massage table. This involves lowering the chair when working the plantar surface and raising the chair when working on the dorsal, lateral and medial surfaces. (See #1 as to why.)

I know that I will be able to provide loving therapeutic touch for many years to come, because I first put the oxygen mask on myself. How do you take care of yourself so as to enjoy a long career offering touch?

If you’ve ever been for an acupuncture session you know that Chinese medicine places great emphasis on the health of the kidneys. That’s because the kidneys are said to store Jing Essence (pre-heaven essence), “original qi”, the energetic blueprint that we inherit from our ancestors. The allopathic equivalent to original qi would be our DNA. It’s what we’re handed, the cards we’re dealt at birth, our life force – not to be squandered or abused mindlessly.

Next month is National Kidney Awareness Month – a good time to appreciate these organs (and while we’re at it, the other structures of the urinary system) that control the composition of the body’s internal environment. Contact clients now and suggest that they receive weekly reflexology sessions throughout March to support and revitalize these important structures.

Function and Failure

No surprise, the organs of the urinary system govern the water element of the body. Living creates waste, so our bodies need a built-in sanitation department; fortunately, we have the kidneys to take care of that critical function. They transform and excrete waste fluids and therefore play a significant role in the body’s detoxification processes.

The kidneys house the will; our drive and strength (think of two hands on your back pushing you forward). When the kidneys are healthy, we enjoy courage, vitality, intimacy; when imbalanced, fear, jealousy, aggressiveness and/or submissiveness.

Dysfunctions of the kidney and urinary bladder meridians result in a weak constitution, and can contribute to many maladies, including edema, cystitis, prostatisis, reproductive and hormonal disturbances (such as impotence and infertility), urinary tract infection, mucous accumulations, coldness, rheumatic complaints, ankle problems, knee, low back and lower limb pain, tinnitus, and dizziness. Reflexology techniques can support people dealing with these challenges and those at risk for kidney failure from high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Targeting the Urinary System

In Chinese medicine the kidney meridian begins on the plantar surface of the feet, between the second and third metatarsals. The urinary bladder meridian ends on the feet, on the lateral aspect of the fifth digit. Adding these points to a reflexology session focused on the urinary reflexes just adds to the efficacy of the treatment.

If you’re interested in learning more, and live in the vicinity of Gainesville, Florida, please plan to attend the March 11th meeting of the Suwanee chapter of the Florida State Massage Therapy Association. I will be giving a 2-hour class, so drop by. (You don’t have to be a member; guests are welcome.) In addition to learning specific hands-on techniques to support the urinary system, you will learn what daily actions are supportive and non-supportive to the kidneys, bladder and ureters, and the relationship of the urinary system to the respiratory, lymphatic, musculoskeletal, digestive, endocrine and integumentary systems.

And please join me for a weekend workshop in Reflexologyin Gainesville, Florida on March 29th and 30th – the Academy’s first workshop of the year. You will learn how to give a full relaxing session of foot reflexology to balance all the systems in the body.

Never before in human history has our planet been home to so many older people – and the data suggests this climb to continue.

In the United States, it is estimated that by 2030 there will be 72.1 million people older than 65. The 2010 census revealed that the 65 and older population is growing faster than the country’s total population.

According to the United Nations (Population Division), worldwide, one in five people are expected to be 65 or older by 2035, with the 80 and over age group growing faster than any younger segment of the older population.

Why am I sharing this? Because the one health complaint that almost every older person will report is sore feet. Imagine 65 plus years of putting all your weight on these small marvels; gravity pulling you even deeper into your soles, and it’s no wonder they’re sore and tired.

So is it time for you to invest one weekend of your life to learn how you can bring relief to those trusty peds; relaxation to a deserving fellow human being? If you’re ready to say YES, then join me for the first Reflexology workshop of 2014 on March 29 and 30 in Gainesville, Florida. You won’t regret it.